Clinton also failed to capture as many young voters, who flocked to her rival Bernie Sanders in the primary and to Obama four years ago.

She won 54% of voters age 18 to 29, compared to 37% who cast ballots for Trump. But Obama secured 60% of these young voters to Romney's 37%.

-- As of 11:45 p.m.

Rust belt states agree with Trump that trade costs jobs

Donald Trump made trade a key message in his campaign. He promised to bring back the manufacturing jobs that he said were lost to trade deals.

Large shares of voters in key rust belt states key to Hillary Clinton's electoral map agreed with Trump's view that trade agreements have hurt American workers. And they overwhelmingly supported the billionaire businessman at the ballot box.

And in Pennsylvania, 53% of the electorate agree that trade is bad for jobs. Some 62% supported Trump, while 34% backed Clinton. Among the 35% who feel trade is a job creator, Clinton was the favored candidate by more than a 2-to-1 margin.

--As of 10:19 p.m.

Few Michigan voters feel job situation is getting worse

Michigan was hit hard by the Great Recession and the shift of manufacturing jobs overseas. But the economy has improved there in recent years.

Some 39% of voters said that the job situation in their area is better than four years ago and 36% said it was about the same. Only one-quarter said it was worse.

Hillary Clinton handily won the vote of those who feel things have improved, by a 73% to 21% margin, and more narrowly among those who think the situation is about the same, by a 46% to 44% split.

But some 70% of those with a more dour view voted for Donald Trump, compared to 21% for his Democratic rival.

Some 37% of Michigan voters feel their family's financial situation has improved, and they overwhelmingly supported Clinton.

However, those who felt their finances are the same cast their votes for Trump, by a 49% to 41% margin. Just under a quarter think their situation have worsened, and they were in the Trump camp.

-- As of 9:37 p.m.

More college educated and people of color voting in Florida

Florida remains too close to project at the moment, but it is already clear from early exit poll data that more college educated residents and people of color came out to vote this year in the Sunshine State compared to 2012.

College graduates made up 52% of Florida voters this year, compared to 48% in 2012. And while college grads generally are thought to favor Clinton, they were evenly divided in Florida.

Some 61% of voters were white this year, compared to 67% four years ago. Another 15% were black, up from 13%, and 18% were Hispanic, compared to 17% in 2012.

Whites favored Trump by a 62% to 34% margin, while blacks supported Clinton by an 84% to 7% split and Hispanics by a 62% to 33% vote.

Voters split on change vs. experience

Let's dig down into two key states, Virginia and Georgia, where the polls closed at 7 p.m. ET.

In Virginia, four in 10 of voters were looking for a change candidate, and those voters selected Donald Trump by a 79% to 15% split.

About a quarter of the electorate wanted a candidate with the right experience. Among these poll-goers, Clinton took 89% of the vote, while Trump received 8%.

And about one in five voters said having good judgment is the most important quality in a candidate. Among these folks, Clinton captured 67% of the vote and Trump got 24%.

In Georgia, just over a quarter of the electorate was angry with the federal government, and 41% were dissatisfied. These folks favored Trump by a 77% to 17% margin for the former, and 51% to 41% for the latter.

Meanwhile, the Latino voting population ticked up to 11%, from 10%, and the Asian to 4%, from 3%.

-- As of 6 p.m.

Voters like their candidate

Throughout the campaign, many Americans said they would have to choose between the lesser of two evils. But when it came time to go to the polls, 42% of voters said they strongly favor their candidate.

Only 25% said their vote was based on the dislike of the other options. Another 31% said they like their candidate, but they have reservations.

Voters made decision before September

Voters made up their mind whom to vote for a long time ago, according to early exit poll data.

Some 62% of voters decided before September whom their candidate would be. Another 26% decided in either September or October.

But only 12% decided over the past week or in the last few days. This suggests that the recent revelations of the FBI reopening and then closing its investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails and Donald Trump's "locker room" talk and accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior did not have much impact on Americans as they went to the polls.

--As of 5:30 p.m.

Voters not excited about Clinton or Trump

Not much of a choice.

That's how many voters feel about this year's presidential candidates. Only about four in 10 voters said they would be excited or optimistic about either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the White House next year, according to early exit polls.

That contrasts with their view of the current president. Some 54% of voters going to the polls today said they approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president.

And while there's been lot of talk by Donald Trump about the election being rigged, about eight in 10 said they were at least somewhat confident that the results of the election would be counted accurately.

The economy remains the most important issue for majority of voters, but Americans were about evenly split on which candidate would better handle the economy.